KALRO launches national coffee planting campaign to boost production
KENYA – The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) has rolled out a national coffee planting campaign aimed at increasing coffee seed production from 5,000 kg to 15,000 kg by 2027/28.
The initiative aligns with Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which prioritizes agricultural productivity to enhance national revenue.
Speaking at the 3rd KALRO-Coffee Research Institute (CRI) open week, KALRO Deputy Director-Crop Dr. Felister Makini emphasized the event’s theme, “Advancing Agricultural Innovation for Resilient Food Systems and Sustainable Livelihoods.”
She noted that similar events would be held across KALRO’s 17 research centers and sub-centers to engage stakeholders in various agricultural and livestock value chains.
Dr. Makini highlighted that these forums provide a platform to educate farmers and stakeholders on advanced coffee management practices, marketing strategies, access to financing, acquisition of farm inputs and equipment, and coffee processing machinery.
Additionally, the discussions allow researchers to identify challenges in the coffee industry and develop solutions for long-term sustainability.
Dr. Makini noted that coffee is a key economic pillar in Kenya, ranking fifth in foreign exchange earnings after diaspora remittances, tea, horticulture, and tourism. It contributes 0.3 percent to Kenya’s GDP, with about 5 million Kenyans directly or indirectly depending on coffee farming for their livelihoods.
KALRO supports both national and international initiatives to enhance coffee production, particularly the government’s goal of tripling national coffee output by 2027/28.
Furthermore, the African Union (AU) has designated coffee as a strategic commodity under the AU Agenda 2063, recognizing its potential in driving economic growth across the continent.
Coffee Research Institute (CRI) Director Elijah Gichuru emphasized the importance of high-output tissue culture technology and grafting to meet the rising demand for coffee seedlings.
“Our target is to increase coffee seed production from 5,000 kg to 15,000 kg by 2027/28 to support the national coffee planting campaign,” he stated.
KALRO, in collaboration with the National Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP)—a program supported by the national government and the World Bank—has already trained 129 County Agriculture Extension Officers from 16 counties.
These officers will provide training and advisory services to farmers and other coffee stakeholders in their respective regions.
According to a recent Coffee Research Institute report, Kenya’s national coffee production in the 2022/23 coffee year stood at 47,957 metric tonnes of clean coffee, valued at KSh 34.11 billion.
At the latest Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) auction, farmers earned KSh 2.04 billion (US$15.76M) from the sale of 33,673 bags of coffee.
The average price per 50 kg bag rose by 4 percent to KSh 49,464 (US$382.02), up from KSh 47,527 (US$267.06) recorded in the previous auction.
The campaign comes when coffee futures prices in New York rose recently surged to a new high above US$4.30 per pound.
According to a Reuters report, some market participants have cited panic in the market amid limited coffee availability. Prices are up around 35 per sent so far this year after soaring 70 per cent in 2024.
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